The Christ Child

To this day, 20 years after we recorded the song, people still ask me about the composer of Bukas Palad's THE CHRIST CHILD. Is Marlene del Rosario a BP member? Where is she now? Does she still write music?

Daughter of Roberto del Rosario, who has been credited for inventing the karaoke, Marlene and I (with Mano and Jandi) were batchmates at the Ateneo College. As early as our freshman year, we quickly discovered each other's passion for music, and had helped each other compile our demos of songs. She then went professional, joining several bands, and in our junior year, had pulled me in to be the second keyboardist of her then current group, Collage with musical director Caesar Aguas (Jun Fernandez, whom I had then replaced was moving on to join Blackbird with Richard Merck).

It was around that time, when Marlene crafted THE CHRIST CHILD, a Christmas song she had written for competition at the Ateneo (she has joined many competitions, once even representing the Philippines and winning second in an international songwriting contest for children). But the contest never materialized due to the political situation during those years. I thus boldly asked her if we could use her song in Bukas Palad's upcoming Christmas album.

No, Marlene was never a Bukas Palad member though in our senior year, she had joined the Ateneo Student Catholic Action from which many BP members emerged. As such, she knew and sang all the BP songs of that era.

Though a graduate of Management Engineering, Marlene now resides in the U.S. as a professional jazz singer with her own band, the Marlene Jazz Trio. Many, many miles away, from here, Marlene probably knows little about how her song THE CHRIST CHILD has moved listeners of BP's music. Besides, the song has been written so many years ago...

Here to relfect on how the song moves her is another fellow former member of the Ateneo Student Catholic Action and recently UP ICW and Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Awardee, Rica Bolipata Santos.


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THE CHRIST CHILD
Rica Bolipata Santos

I think that the Christmas story is a fantastic story.

From the point of view of a storyteller, this one has all the elements needed to achieve what all good stories should achieve – the achievement of wonder and surprise. It begins with certainty: So many years ago, a Child was born. He was unlike any child ever known. He lay in a manger, not a crib made of gold. And the royal nursery was a stable of old.

Christ’s birth has a set of the most interesting characters. There is Joseph whose wife was found pregnant before he could marry her. There is Mary, whose strong faith makes it easy (or hard) for her to follow God’s command. There is Herod, afraid for his throne and desperate to keep it. There are the Wise Men who add the pomp and circumstance necessary for any story of worth. There are the pure-hearted shepherds, bleary-eyed and sleepy on this starry night. But my favorite character even as a child was the Innkeeper. It is his generosity that gets this story going. Every character has a strength only he or she has; and every character has a flaw that becomes divine by the presence of Christ.

The Christ Child is one of my favorite songs because it is a song that musically transposes all these wonderful incongruities in the story. The dialogue that exists between narrator and wailer (for lack of a better word) is a perfect metaphor for the central irony in this story: a King is born in a manger. Though He didn’t have to be poor. A king such as he could have had so much more. And have all the wealth and rule all the earth. He was instead, born a Carpenter’s Son.

The wailer is not just for embellishment. He is there to remind us of the human hunger for a spiritual life. He is there to remind us that our yearnings are heard by a greater Being. He is there to remind us that our emptiness is loud and can be heard by our Savior.

There is also a reason why the song begins with one singer, and then is answered by another singer and ends with the entire choir singing the song: But thousands of years after that. They learned to adore the most eminent fact: that He was with us; that He lived for us.

The first singer acts as storyteller, and the second singer acts as witness and testifies to the truth of the story. In the end, it is the human race that embraces the irony of the quiet event that continues to resonate in history.

Pasko Ng Paglaya

It was on a Saturday, in a classroom at Gonzaga Hall, that I received a brown envelope from Fr. Mano, then a novice at the Sacred Heart Novitiate. I must have been in third year college then, and it must have been during my Business Communications class that I peeled off the scotch tape that had sealed the parcel.

Not to my surprise (as Mano would send me stuff on occasion), the envelope contained music sheets of a newly-composed Christmas song. What intrigued me more, in fact, were the song's title--PASKO NG PAGLAYA, the apparent theme of the lyrics, and the nationalistic melody that began to play in my head as I skimmed through the hand-written notes. By the end of my 3-hour class, I was halfway through arranging the vocals.

Eric Barro, one of the original Bukas Palad members, was among the first to hear the music and play it on his guitar. I have invited him to collect his thoughts on PASKO NG PAGLAYA and to share them with you.

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PASKO NG PAGLAYA
Eric Barro

Norman asked me to write a reflection on either Pasko ng Paglaya or Himig ng Hangin for his blog. Save for the memory of Norman and Manoling’s first attempt to do vocal arrangement when we were 4th year HS and one ATSCA member trying the tenor voice when he, in fact, was bass, there was no significant memory for Himig ng Hangin that I could write about.

Pasko ng Paglaya it is then.

I was part of the first batch of BP and was involved in the recording of the first two albums and four songs, if my memory serves me right, of the 3rd album. I was the only member of the first batch that knew the songs way back in high school.

Footnote 1:
People may disagree but when BP started, I had always thought and felt that I was the “fourth man” (nothing significant about this title…alalay baga!) behind the geniuses of Mano, Jandi and Norman. I came into the picture the summer before 3rd year high school…really an outsider…classroom at the farthest end (whereas theirs were beside each other)…different interests and sets of friends…varied lifestyle.

By the time the school year started, I started hanging out with them. That was the first time that I was intimately introduced to their music. Never realized that chords could be that sophisticated…the progression…the use of bass (e.g. D/C)…even guitar-strumming style! The songs were distinct: contemporary, sophisticated, pop and easy to sing (though not necessarily easy to play).

As the “fourth man”, my main role was just to wonder in awe at how Mano, Jandi and Norman could do it, with the hope that soon, it would rub off on me. Sadly, it did not!

Before we launched the Pasko Na! Album, ATSCA was already singing most of the songs during our caroling. It was during this period that I had first heard of Pasko ng Paglaya.

Footnote 2:
It was just a matter of time before Manoling would write a song (both lyrics and melody) that had a nationalistic flavor. The political situation then had influenced our minds and actions and we were in the forefront of Ateneo’s student activism: Jandi was to become President of ACLC. Norman and I were ATSCA presidents one after the other. Manoling founded and was President of Lingap Bilanggo. And we shared one room.

But I was not really thrilled about singing Pasko ng Paglaya. The first two stanzas had no vocal arrangement; the refrain was too short to showcase the vocal calisthenics Norman was known to provide in his arrangements. But most importantly, on a personal level, BP was actually my “break”, so to speak, from all my student activism undertakings. It was clear to me, even back then, where to draw the line between my convictions and passions. My convictions brought me to the streets, to the squatters’ area, to the laborers. I sang Patatag songs, Petty Burgis, Karapatan ng Tao with the basic sectors. On the other hand, I was passionate about the type of songs BP had been known for--the cover versions that we did of Manhattan Transfer, Al Jarreau, Hotdog, during campus concerts.

I thought then that singing nationalistic songs was crossing over that line.

I did not expect the album launching of Pasko Na! to be jam-packed. The venue was bigger (LHS chapel; the first album launch was in Dulaang Sibol) and it was held in the evening. The songs were not as familiar as the ones in the first album, at least to the college community. And we were going to sing Pasko ng Paglaya!

Footnote 3:
Compared to our debut album launch, Pasko Na! launch involved more people; even those who were not part of the recording. We had better costumes, I think. Opening song was Emmanuel, which Norman re-arranged in order to have that “live and bombastic” feel. And I had the task of emceeing alone, without Risa Hontiveros (now congresswoman) whom I thought was a perfect partner, she being a complete foil of my personality.

It was a light and entertaining evening. I even thought I had a new career as a stand-up comic. Then we sang Pasko ng Paglaya.

It was stunning. The audience was completely silent. Our unison voice for the first two verses was simplicity at its best. The refrain provided just the right vocal blend to convey the message of the song. And the oooh-ing at the end was perfect. The song penetrated the hearts of the audience. It was one of the most applauded songs in the evening. For me, it was the most earnest.

I listened again to the song when I agreed to write this piece of reflection. That same day, Trillanes and Lim marched to Manila Peninsula. Friends sent opposing text messages: support the plotters…no to coup. Others offered their houses as refuge, just in case.

The present political landscape makes me wish that the message of Pasko ng Paglaya still reverberates and is still relevant, in either side of political fence one belongs to. It is in these times that I go back to that particular evening, hoping to penetrate again the hearts of people.

Footnote 4:
I still prefer BP’s jazzy and soulful songs though than those traditional and nationalistic sounding-hymns. I have now become the nth person: no communication with Jandi and Manoling the past 5 years and very sparse contacts with Norman. Their musical ingenuity was apparently non-transferable! And I did not become a stand-up comic.

But now, it is not a question of crossing the line…because there is no line! Music, regardless of passion and conviction, naturally crosses over and it is how one learns from the melody and lyrics that actually matters.

Bukas Palad tours parishes in Metro Manila

Dear Friends,

Bukas Palad would very much like to be part of the music ministry of your parish.

For the months of September and October, the group will be singing in various parishes during regular masses around the metro. Should you be interested to have BP on a Saturday or Sunday in the next few weeks, it would be our honor to join your congregation in song and praise the Lord with you as one community.

Please feel free to contact Nikki Carrascoso via email at nikkicar8@hotmail.com or through his mobile, 0918-8080810 in this regard. We hope to see you soon.

In Him Alone,
Bukas Palad Music Ministry

TRACK #12: BIYAHENG LANGIT

Throughout Bukas Palad’s 21-year history, the group has worked with a host of Filipino artists, and the experience has been most rewarding. We have performed many times with the likes of Basil Valdez, Dulce, and Nolyn Cabahug in various concerts, and have sung back-ups in recordings with Ariel Rivera, Anna Fegi, Roselle Nava, and Karylle, among others. Jim Paredes has invited us to sing in several of his commercial jingles, and Ryan Cayabyab had once called on us to guest in his weekly show. Jose Mari Chan, The CompanY, and the Bolipata brothers have agreed to guest in our concerts, while Cooky Chua, Jett Pangan, Regine Velasquez and Lea Salonga have accepted our invitation to sing our songs.

There are many others yet with whom we have shared a recording booth or concert stage with, but the one artist with whom Bukas Palad has enjoyed the most opportunities for collaboration must have to be Noel Cabangon. Noel has recorded in two of our albums, interpreting SA TINGIN MO (Let Your praises Be Heard, 2003) and SANLIBONG BUHAY (God of Silence, 2005). We have sung back-ups in some of his recordings, and he has immortalized a couple of songs written or arranged by Bukas Palad members for the Jesuit Music Ministry. Noel has guested in several BP shows singing our original songs, and once, while watching him perform at 70s Bistro, he invited us to perform on stage. Noel and Bukas Palad have also appeared together in the MTV of PAGHAHANDOG.

This year, we collaborate once more with Noel contributing to Bukas Palad’s latest album, his song, BIYAHENG LANGIT.

Based on Chapter 25 of Leviticus, BIYAHENG LANGIT speaks of celebrating the Jubilee year—announcing through a blast on an instrument made from a ram’s horn, the recovery of every household’s absent members, the return of land to its former owners, the emancipation of slaves, and the remittance of all debts. Noel writes:

“Ipagbunyi ang taong mapagpalaya, patunugin ang tambuli ng galak
Gawing banal ang sansinukuban sa kagandahang-loob Niyang dumatal

“Bayan, buong siglang ipahayag ang pagparito ng Diyos nating dakila
Pag-ibayuhin ang ginhawang dulot ng balitang mapagpalaya”

I had the privilege of arranging Noel’s song while interpreting with my ears the spirit behind the verses that had inspired the composer. Yes, I wanted a celebratory feel and so opted for a track that people could certainly groove to. However, I was avoiding sounding danceable but flippant. To me, while the song speaks of jubilation for God’s love, it has a seeming “protest” feel to it:

“Kalagan ang lahat ng mga bihag ang inusig ng makapangyarihan
Buong bayan ng Diyos ay palayain sa mga bisig ng gahaman

“Sumulong tayo sa lupang pangako at kapit-bisig tayong maglakbay
Katarungan ni Yahweh, itaguyod laban sa panlilinlang
Puksain ang ugat ng pagkabulag at durugin ang mga tanikala
Ipahayag na ngayon ay mamamayani, kagandahang-loob ng Diyos”

I do not know if dance-rock is a legitimate musical genre, but that’s the sound I was aiming for. Add to that some synthesizers plus the choral voices of Bukas Palad, and there you have the cacophony of sound that occupied my head while working on the song.
Two weeks ago, I bumped into Noel at the studio while he was working on yet another song. He asked me about my treatment of his song. Unable to describe it, I simply offered him one word: SECRET.

It is a challenge collaborating with one of the most successful songwriters of this generation, especially since I know Noel has dedicated his art and life to causes with a purpose. He is a board member of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), and is involved in the campaigns of World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Global Call to Action Against Poverty.

The opportunity of working with a man of this caliber is quite rewarding.

BIYAHENG LANGIT
Disc: Inspirational
Music and lyrics: Noel Cabangon
Instrumental and vocal arrangment: Norman Agatep
Featuring Bukas Palad on vocals with descant by Candice Cabutihan-Cipullo

TRACK 11#: NO BETTER REST (Xavier's Theme)

Those who have made a spiritual connection with such songs as PILGRIM’S THEME, ALL SHALL BE WELL, EMPTY SPACE or FAR GREATER LOVE, may find themselves being touched once more by yet another collaboration from Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ and Fr. Johnny Go, SJ. Bukas Palad is soon to release through its album, HINDI KITA MALILIMUTAN, the song NO BETTER REST (XAVIER’S THEME) from the two Jesuits.

I believe this shall be the third version of NO BETTER REST. Maybe 10 years ago, I was approached by Fr. Mano to arrange the original version, which was going to be the soundtrack of a scene in a documentary Fr. Johnny was producing on the life of St. Francis Xavier. Cholo Mallillin was invited to interpret the track.

Even then, it was easy to be mesmerized by the song’s stirring melody and poignant story. I was directed to mimic through music, the sound of an epic voyage—a journey aboard a mighty vessel that would traverse the calm seas and weather the toughest storms. And why not? NO BETTER REST captures the thoughts and desires of Xavier as he crosses the globe and dares the waves to seek out the poor and sick and to spend his time in ministering to their needs. Yet while occupied all day with such incessant labors, he would spend the greater part of the night in prayer:
“Give a sign, what’s on your mind
And I’ll leave my world behind
If you bid me so, wherever I go
I’ll find you there I know
Always before me you go
Both near and far, there you are
My one bright shining star
Well here I am at your command
Lead be my your hand.”

Years after the documentary was produced, another version of the song was created, this time as arranged by good friend Gino Torres and interpreted by alumni of Xavier School in Greenhills, Marvin Ong and Carlo Tanseco. Once again, through new voices, the story of Xavier would be narrated—his travels to the East, and how despite the difficulties that beset him, he would leave behind him a flourishing church wherever he went, guided by the hand of God:

“For even through the darkest night you’ll be my light
And there upon the strangest tongue I know I’ll hear your song
In every stranger’s gaze I will see your face
And I’ll go on ‘til every race falls into your embrace.”

Another year, another version. Childhood friend and multi-awarded arranger Marvin Querido was chosen to lend his touch to NO BETTER REST, which Bukas Palad has recorded this year for our latest album. We were young boys still when Marvin and I learned to play the keyboards and were coached by our respective mentors to begin arranging music; even then, Marvin proved to be a far more talented musician. Late last year, I slipped him a note briefing him on the song, but in truth, the note carried the same brief handed to me 10 years ago. This time, however, we encouraged Marvin to push the big voyage feel with rich strings and brasses, and to make more pronounced the song’s ebb and tide, its crescendos and decrescendos. No less than BP tenor, Reggie Regala, was challenged to interpret the track.

On August 25, BP shall be performing NO BETTER REST during our album launch of HINDI KITA MALILIMUTAN. Again, we shall hear Fr. Manoling’s and Fr. Johnny’s moving song. But certainly, no matter how many times Xavier’s story is told and retold, its message of intense faith and consuming love for God remains forever relevant.

“For there’s no better rest in this restless world
Than to hear and do your word.”

NO BETTER REST (XAVIER’S THEME)
Disc: Inspirational
Music: Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ
Lyrics: Fr. Johnny Go, SJ
Instrumental arrangement: Marvin Querido
Vocal Arrangement: Palan Reyes
Featuring Reggie Regala on vocals with the Bukas Palad

TRACK #6: Noel Miranda's Give The Lord Glory

Give the Lord glory and honor!
Give the Lord glory and praise!
Give the Lord glory and honor, glory and praise!

Bukas Palad’s Catholic Mass Media Awards nominee, (for his song WE ARE YOURS, interpreted by Lea Salonga) Noel Miranda, is certainly among my favorite BP composers. Ok, so he was my student and beadle in 1988 during my first year of teaching at the Ateneo de Manila High School, and even then, he was a diligent student who took his piano lessons quite seriously. But really, biases aside, I am impressed with the work he has been churning out lately, especially because of his insightful lyrics and intelligent sense of music. It is no surprise then that Noel (pictured in this blog entry with fellow BP members Candice and Shine) has two songs being recorded for Bukas Palad’s latest album, the first of which is GIVE THE LORD GLORY.

O sing a new song to the Lord!
O sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell among the nations His glory
And His wonders, to all now proclaim.

I did ask Noel about his thoughts on this song of praise, and here is what he has this to say:

“GIVE THE LORD GLORY was one of the first liturgical songs that I composed—it was actually sung in a mass back in 1996. I was a member of the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines then, and was assigned to Santa Maria Catholic School. Some of us teachers were requested by the Santa Maria Parish to sing regularly during the 10AM Sunday mass. To make our mass a bit more special, we decided to assign a cantor to sing the responsorial psalm. If there was already an existing song we knew for the Sunday psalm, we would simply learn and use this song.

“On our second week as a choir, however, the psalm for the liturgy was Psalm 96 and we didn't know any song based on this psalm. Over the week, I tried to compose a simple tune for Psalm 96 and GIVE THE LORD GLORY was born. I actually served as cantor that week. In other words, kinanta ko ito in public.”

Give the Lord praise, all you peoples,
Unto Him glory and power!
Give the Lord the glory of His name.
Bring an offering and enter His courts.

Based on an existing psalm, GIVE THE LORD GLORY is a perfect choice for congregations to sing after the first reading or even as an entrance hymn since it invites devotees to come and worship the Lord. Its fluid melodic lines and distinct rhythmic style encourage all to burst into song. It is infectious and uplifting, a real mood setter to get people ready to celebrate in the Lord’s name.

“My original peg was a song from the Broadway musical, "Once On This Island." If you hear the original instrumentation, it's really a bit choppy with a mild Caribbean feel. Siyempre may lilting flute like the peg. Another peg is a little known alleluia by David Haas titled, "Stand Up Friends," which also has that choppy, syncopated, Caribbean feel. Yun bang parang magwo-work kung tugtugin sa steel drums.

I wanted the song to be sing-able so I kept the melody very simple. Tapos the verses are just a slight variation of the refrain theme.”

Come and let us worship the Lord!
Let all the earth tremble before Him!
Proclaim to all the nations: God is king!
He governs His people with justice!

GIVE THE LORD GLORY promises to be among the songs Bukas Palad will be singing in the many masses we will be attending. We hope that soon, you will be joining us in this song to gather and sing praises to God our Redeemer.

GIVE THE LORD GLORY
Disc: Liturgical
Lyrics and Music: Noel Miranda
Instrumental Arrangement: Palan Reyes
Vocal Arrangement: Jampao Reyes and Palan Reyes
Vocals: Roy Tolentino and the Bukas Palad Music Ministry
Featuring Norman Agatep on percussions and Toto Sorioso on guitar

TRACK #5: Gary Granada's Hangganan

In a concert where we first sang Hangganan, a violent thunderclap threatened to end our performance abruptly. That was in the early 90s, but those of us in the show remember still how shaken the audience in the Ateneo High School Chapel seemed, and how the hairs on our backs suddenly lifted in the middle of the song. On hindsight though, maybe the weather had no part in this. Hangganan is after all by Gary Granada; and where there’s a Granada song, goosebumps are never far behind.

Unknown to many, Gary had been involved in Bukas Palad’s 2nd album, Pasko Na! As producer of that project in 1987 and having recorded all songs at StudiOne of Praise Incorporated, I was advised by the studio to have our reels mastered at Unison Records, at the Broadway Centrum Complex along Aurora Boulevard. Unison was being run by Gary. Together, we mastered each and every track of the album.

He had many kind words for Pasko Na! yet never realized then how thrilled I was to have heard all that as I was already a big fan. Neither was he to know that Bukas Palad would soon be singing his songs including Our Father and Earthkeeper, which we eventually performed in a concert in Sorsogon (with Gary also as a guest) and later recorded in our album, Let Your Praises Be Heard. This year, we immortalize his Hangganan in our 20th anniversary album.

Forget that his songs are always in perfect meter and rhyme. Or that his melodies are simple yet sheer genius. What it is that makes Gary’s music so memorable are his deeply poignant lyrics; and Hangganan is no exception. Here he speaks of how all things come to an end:

“Kagaya ng isang dula
Minsang ito'y umpisahan
Kung pa'nong mayro'ng simula
Ay mayro'n ding katapusan
Ang awit mang naririnig
Larawan bang namamasdan
Lahat ng bagay sa daigdig
Mayrong hangganan”

And if all things find their limit, shall we who fashion our lives to gain more, find ours?

“Ang iyong lakas ay may humpay
Huhulaw bawat halakhak
Sa salawahang tagumpay
Huhupa rin ang palakpak
Bakit ka ba patatangay
Patutuksong pag-abalhan
Ang bukas na hinihintay
Baka nga di mo pa datnan”

He thus concludes with a simple piece of advice:

Hangga't di mo natagpuan
Ang puno't dulo ng buhay
Lahat ay masasayang lang
Mawawalan din ng saysay
Hanapin mo ang Maylikha
Dahil Siya ang kahulugan
Nagwikang Siya ang simula
At ang hangganan

It takes solid conviction to write music like Gary Granada’s. His songs and messages of God’s unending love will last many lifetimes.

HANGGANAN
Disc: Inspirational
Lyrics & Music: Gary Granada
A cappella arrangement: Norman Agatep
Vocals: Mystery guest singer with the Bukas Palad Music Ministry

TRACK #4: The Love of God Endures Forevermore

Rica Bolipata Santos and Palan Reyes share with me their respective thoughts on writing this track and arranging it for Bukas Palad's 20th anniversary album. Not only are these two ultra gifted in what they do; they are also friends whom I can coerce on occasion to do the unthinkable--like contributing to this blog. Meanwhile, I have yet to twist the arms of Icar Castro and Lou Grant Tan and convince them to reveal their experiences of recording the song, THE LOVE OF GOD ENDURES FOREVER MORE. People...my guest bloggers, Rica and Palan.

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The Love of God Endures Forevermore
Rica Bolipata Santos

I believe in having a theme song.

Oh there’s the regular theme song you share with someone. Maybe the love song you first danced to. Maybe it was the song playing in the mall when he first reached for your hand. Or maybe it’s the song that nursed you back into couplehood.

But, that’s not what I’m talking about. The theme song I’m talking about is akin to an anthem. It’s what anchors your walk everyday. It’s what keeps you steady, with your eye on the future. It best arrives when you’re taking a walk and your feet naturally move to an internal rhythm. I have found out that one’s walk is attuned to the spirit of the heart and that the song that comes to mind is the perfect song for the heart’s state.

These days, for me, that song is The Love of God Endures Forevermore. Let me tell you a bit about how this song was born.

On a regular day, Manoling Francisco texted (a fact which is already worth talking about because Mano is not prone to texting unlike us lesser beings…) and invited me to write a song with him. He said that he already had the music and just needed help with the lyrics. You must know that to refuse would have been impossible and foolish. One does not pass up the chance to write a song with an icon!

The last time I had ever written a song was back in grade school. In love with words, I had the naïve idea that I could make music for it. Of course, this was foolhardy. I quickly abandoned that career path and concentrated on the part that made the most sense to me – playing with words.

Mano and I met at Loyola House of Studies and in my mind, we would simply be brainstorming, tossing ideas to each other and that it would take us at least a month to get to some kind of product. Lo and behold, he tells me as soon as I arrive (which was at 2 pm) that we had until 5 pm to finish the song! Behind him was the exit door and truth-be-told if Mano had not been blocking the way, I would have been out of there in an instant.

You see nothing is more overwhelming than a lack of faith in oneself. But then, I looked at clear-eyed Mano and made the decision to rest on his faith in me. He explained to me the song, almost fervently, and pointed the Psalm we would be basing the song on (Psalm 136).

I knew that Mano constantly troubled over the travails of the country. His work kept him constantly in touch with all kinds of Filipinos so he has intimate knowledge of the common man’s desire to have faith in the Kingdom of God. When faced with poverty, hunger, and that great big word that underlines everything INJUSTICE, it becomes difficult to find the hand of God. This song was a promise, a constant reminder that the love of God is stronger, the love of God is constant, the love of God has steered humankind and continues to steer us to goodness, the love of God endures forevermore.

The song is plaintive, historical even, of the paths we have taken as a people. Underneath its chords a tension is revealed. This tension lies in the humanness of people in the face of God’s infinite wisdom. We cannot see as far as God sees and this fact is troubling. The challenge to see it as sacramental almost seems impossible. I thought of the psalmist’s world of a thousand years ago and felt one with his world. He too struggled and yet he still chose to proclaim: “Praise to the God of Gods, Praise to the Lord of Lords.”

But the song is also joyful. It is a reminder of God’s love and Grace. It speaks of God’s qualities as a creator who loves and that ironically enough, that which troubles us (his infiniteness) is also what comforts us. The chorus replies to each refrain: the love of God endures forevermore-An acknowledgment of this greatness.

To write a song is to be in touch with one’s stand in life. Although I was, in essence, only rewording what had already been written, I could not create a new version of something I did not understand. In one refrain, the psalmist says: “Out of great love Yahweh heard their pleas and freed them from their captivity. Fed them manna and water from springs.” Manna and water no longer appear in our modern times. But they do appear in other forms, and I have witnessed that and so now I too am Psalmist.

This is my anthem now as I walk my gift of life. In times of confusion, in times of great despair, in times of dryness, in times of plenty, in times of loss, in times of darkness, my feet walk the walk of truth. I pound the steps with certainty and peace. I say it like a mantra: the love of God endures forevermore.

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The Love of God Endures Forevermore
Palan Reyes

Arranging this song was a challenge. First, its refrain sounded too much like Humayo't Ihayag. Second, its verses had three different melodic lineunrelated in synchopation to each other. And third, it had to sound joyous yet be solemn enough to be used in liturgical functions.

Since the task of arranging was given to me, I decided to use as my peg the theme song of the BBC show, Talking Movies, which features a piano-bass-percussion trio. In this song, I used a 4-part chorus with 2
soloists accompanied by grand piano.

When I recorded the accompaniment, I also wanted to get a gritty, spontaneous feel of a live performance. That's why we also invested in renting a parlor grand from Lyric Pianos one weekend. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first song I recorded that day. One problem I encountered was how to deal with a noisy sustain pedal. This was solved by propping the bottom with cloth and playing barefoot. The other problem was how to play it without mistakes, which is the base of a pianist who was arranging the song practically as it was being played. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with the results.

Towards the end of the song you may hear some murmurs and handclaps intended to highlight a "party-like" atmosphere. A praise song such as this works well in the spirit of fellowship and in the context of a celbration of God's love for His people. I wish to stress not just the devotional aspect of this liturgical song, but also its social dimension. We worship WITH other people as a community of believers.

THE LOVE OF GOD ENDURES FOREVERMORE
Disc: Liturgical
Music: Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ
Lyrics: Rica Bolipata Santos, based on Psalm 136
Vocals: Icar Castro, Lou Grant Tan, and The Bukas Palad Music Ministry
Instrumental and vocal arrangement: Palan Reyes

TRACK #3: Now You're Healed

If my memory serves me right, I’ve collaborated with Jandi on 10 songs to date: 3 Christmas tunes, 5 U.S. tour anthems, 1 song by Fr. Manoling with some 4 others (Jandi and myself included) working on the lyrics, and 1 contest entry I wrote with Chito Salazar but which Jandi agreed to perform on competition night only after revising the lyrics himself. Diva.

Because he is quite a gifted writer, I give in to Jandi’s strange requests, especially now that he is based in Virginia and I in Manila. It is difficult drafting songs together when we are so far apart; that’s why we go out of our way to make things work. I would first compose the music, which I’d then deliver to him for his lyric-writing. But during the 90s, sending audio to the U.S. was a nightmare—I would resort to mailing him a cassette or sneaking the tape in the baggage of traveling relatives. After a week, he would fax me the words, but because I needed confirmation on the phrasing of some verses, he would call at odd hours to sing me the song.

Fortunately, technology evolves quickly, and now it is easy to develop a demo and send it to Jandi from my laptop. Whew. And neither of us has to pay for courier or long distance charges, or even deal with irate relatives. That’s how it went 3 years ago when we wrote NOW YOU’RE HEALED for Bukas Palad’s 2004 U.S. Tour.

Those days, I was already heavily influenced by Kirk Franklin, and was aiming for a soulful gospel ballad sound. I wanted a simple but powerful refrain with a distinct R&B groove—one that could stir listeners emotionally with its melody and move them almost physically with its rhythm. After working on my demo, I sent an mp3 file to Jandi’s email address and waited nervously for the customary week; it was early March and Bukas Palad was set to leave for the U.S. in April.

The wait was well worth it. Based on Matthew 8:23-9:28, Jandi’s wonderfully provocative lyrics recount four miracles performed by Christ—three stories on how Jesus healed the afflicted, and one on how Jesus calmed the raging storm. But more importantly, the lyrics remind us how those who witnessed these miracles were saved by their profound faith. Two refrains read:

“Do you believe He’d bring her back to life?
Back in your arms that fight each strife
that ushers in the peace God wills for her in life?
Your grieving heart sought Him out—
Now she’s healed!

“Do you believe he’d stand and walk again?
Your faith in God had triumphed when
You brought him slowly down to trust in God again.
Your humbled heart shouted out—
Now he’s healed!”

The song also voices out our deepest desire to be healed by Christ during our personal storms:

“Without a warning come the fiercest storms that change
the calm and quiet that we have known.
That’s when we feel alone—when waves of doubt surround
to cause us fear like we have never found.
You, our mighty Lord, save us Lord!
Please let the tide subside deep inside.
Help us, be our guide!”

Performing the song in 2004 was no easy task. I have this bad habit of arranging vocals in a way that makes singers physically feel what the lyrics convey. So you can already imagine what Bukas Palad goes through when we sing about “the fiercest storms.” Because the melody and message are quite intense, I feel it inappropriate to sing the song lightly. And because the arrangement is designed to communicate such passion, the experience can be exhausting. In fact, when we whisper the last line, “Now you’re healed,” we are literally drained and relieved, and can only thank God we survived. And that’s what we did last Saturday when we finally finished recording the vocals of NOW YOU’RE HEALED.

NOW YOU’RE HEALED is an ardent demonstration of faith via song. The track will not be soothing and solemn. It will disturb and provoke. But hey, it’s among my favorites from the ones Jandi and I have collaborated on.

NOW YOU’RE HEALED
Disc: Inspirational
Music: Norman Agatep
Lyrics: Jandi Arboleda
Vocals: The Bukas Palad Music Ministry
Instrumental and vocal arrangement: Norman Agatep

TRACK #2: Sa Batong Ito

I think I’ve just coerced myself into writing about all 20 tracks of Bukas Palad’s soon-to-be-released 20th anniversary album. While I am not going to run out of material for sure, I worry that I may lose steam in the process. So let me take the effortless route and tell you about one of the easier tracks to discuss—a song, which to me is perfectly solid: SA BATONG ITO.

It is one of 5 winners of the BAYAN, UMAWIT songwriting competition mounted last year by BP. Written by Fr. Benito Justiniano, SA BATONG ITO was among the pile of CDs and audio cassettes assigned to me for first auditioning. Having been attracted to what I heard, I introduced the song to the rest of the panel during our deliberation session in short-listing entries to the contest. After that forum, the song was given semi-finalist status.

Frankly, when I listen to a song, I am first drawn to the melody before I am to the lyrics. And this was no exception; SA BATONG ITO does have a powerful hook and energetic spirit. It has that kind of refrain that enjoins all to sing along by the sheer simplicity of its tune and impact of its rhythm. It is moving yet pushing, charming yet commanding. It has all the charisma and rallying power of a speaker who seduces you into action. Couple that with memorable lyrics like these, and you’ve got a winning song:

“Sa batong ito, itatayo Ko ang aking bayan!
Sa batong ito, titipunin ko sila’t babantayan!
Sa batong ito, kaligtasan ay siyang makakamtan!
Sa batong ito, pag-ibig Ko’y laan!”

Weeks after we had declared the winners of the contest, it was time to assign tasks in preparation for our album production. Naturally, I volunteered to arrange SA BATONG ITO as I had an instant liking to it. The challenge, however, was to piece together the voices and to score the music in a way that would enhance the inherent strengths of the song.

So I set myself to work. The choral arrangement you will hear in the album is uncluttered; much of it is in unison and only the final refrains are in full chorus, so listeners can focus on the message and not the arrangement per se. The other objective of course is to make the track as congregation-friendly as possible so choirs that fall in love with the song (as I did) may get to sing it easily and with full confidence. Mind you, however, that the coda is quite grand, to be in synch with the temperament of the song’s powerful message.

The minus one is an interweaving of instruments common to many churches: guitar, piano, flute, organ, shaker. Ok, you will hear an accordion somewhere, but that’s my personal tribute to Fr. Eddie Hontiveros, SJ, who encouraged me to pursue arranging liturgical music. But over-all, the instrumentation is churchy. And why not? The song after all speaks much about the Church Christ built.

SA BATONG ITO will make a great communion or recessional hymn. I can already hear congregations declaring their faith and singing in chorus of God’s promise:

“Sa batong ito, kaligtasan ay siyang makakamtan!
Sa batong ito, pag-ibig Ko’y laan!”

Yes, Alex, I’ll get you an audio sampler as soon as that’s ready.

And kudos, Fr. Benito! I hope to meet you one day.

SA BATONG ITO
Disc: Liturgical
Music & lyrics: Fr. Benito Justiniano (with additional lyrics from Roy Tolentino)
Vocals: The Bukas Palad Music Ministry
Instrumental and vocal arrangement: Norman Agatep

TRACK #1: Ang Pupuno Sa Akin

For most people, a lot happens within a single year. For me, I wrote a song.

It began as a musical strain that I couldn’t get off my head on April 14th, Good Friday last year, as I braved the streets of gloomy Manhattan alone. And on April 8, 2007, Good Friday once again, I was set to let Bukas Palad record ANG PUPUNO SA AKIN for our 20th anniversary album.

You see, BP was on U.S. tour last year, and Holy Week found us in New York City. Having performed on Broadway in St. Malachy’s Church (or the Actor’s Chapel) on Wednesday, the next few days served as time off for all of us.

Lui and I had been staying in the apartment of an old friend and classmate, Erwin de Leon, on 46th street, but on Good Friday, Erwin left early to start preparations for services in the parish where he was involved. Mid-morning and after just a slice of bread and cream cheese, I accompanied Lui to Penn Station on 34th; he, on the other hand, was headed for New Jersey in preparation for our Easter show in Toms River. That left me alone until the afternoon when I was supposed to meet other BP members at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) on 53rd (or so I thought). And worse, rain had begun fall.

I no longer know if it was all that walking, or all that fasting, or maybe how hot I felt inside my jacket, which on the outside was terribly damp and cold, but I was beginning to feel heady by noon. Yet I trudged on aimlessly, weaving through Manhattan, dodging the rain, and stopping by every church in sight (there were a few).

It was almost 2pm though that I became conscious of a persistent melody playing in my mind. I nursed it as I avoided puddles on my way to the MoMA. By then, it had been confirmed that neither Rica nor Ali could join me at the museum. Great, it had also been confirmed that the queue to the museum was like 10 blocks long. With simply no energy to stand in line, I gave up the idea and settled for checking out the MoMA’s façade. There, however, a female pushed me in line until I found myself in the museum’s wide lobby. What are the chances?

I probably spent but 3 hours at the MoMA. Not enough, I know, even if I had been there before. Curiously, though there were tens of thousands crowding the many halls (admission was free that day), I heard not a sound. Maybe that’s the effect of being surrounded by the Picassos and Van Goghs and Matisses, and Klimts. Gazing at the canvasses there has a way of showing you the divine and reminding you of your human limitations (and inadequacies). Maybe we had all felt that and could only release a collective and quiet sigh. But in my head, the melody played on with even greater clarity.

By 5:30pm I was sipping some chowder in a tiny café, I think on 4th ave. I was the only diner. And by 7pm I was on the subway headed for Hudson St, where I intended to stroll around our office headquarters there. With the rain still pouring, I chanced upon another church and decided to step inside. Of course, the service was in Spanish and I understood very little, though I began to hear words now accompanying the music still lingering in my head.

In a place where family I had not, on a day when friends I had none, and surrounded by people whose language I knew close to nothing, it was relatively easy to write a song. With hardly any food in my system much less blood in my legs, you could say my body was running on empty. How easy was it then for anything to fill me on Good Friday. Today I look back and would like to think it was the divine taking over the humanly inadequate.

Many months later, though I had never written the notes to it, the music remained fresh in my head. I needed only to add a bridge to complete the song before I made a demo early this year. And because I knew I could never express eloquently the thoughts I had which accompanied the music, I sent the demo along with some scattered ideas and phrases to Lui—who after all was the only BP member I had seen on April 14, 2006. And so in February, he wrote:

Aanhin ko ang lahat
Ng yaman dito sa mundo
Kung wala Ka naman sa puso ko
Anong halaga sa buhay
Ng tagumpay at parangal
Makuha man ang lahat
Hindi rin sasapat.
Ikaw lang ang pupuno
Sa kulang ng buhay ko.

On Good Friday this year, I completed the song’s minus one. ANG PUPUNO SA AKIN will soon be recorded by two of my favorite BP singers.

ANG PUPUNO SA AKIN
Music: Norman Agatep
Lyrics: Lui Morano
Vocals: Cholo Mallillin, Ching Ching, and the Bukas Palad Music Ministry
Instrumental and vocal arrangement: Norman Agatep

The business of producing Bukas Palad's 13th album

It was supposed to be a matter of business.

Monday morning. I stepped into our conference room to meet with executives who were interested to secure our company's marketing services. As expected, everyone around the table offered his or her business card, and I was not prepared to break the custom. But neither was I prepared for what I was about to hear from the lady in the corporate suit after she had read the name off the white piece of board I had handed her.

"You are the composer, right?" she managed to ask as we firmly shook hands.

Noting the puzzled look on her colleague's faces, she reminded them of how they jokingly called attention to the holy hymns she would play in her cubicle, and how they would ask her if they had just entered some chapel or if she had become a minister overnight.

"Well that's his music," she quipped while pointing an accusing finger at me. "And I've been playing it since Ash Wednesday."

Not wanting to be blamed for anything, I could only give off a nervous laugh, move quickly into the day's agenda, and draw their attention to the powerpoint slide flashing on the conference room wall. Business as usual.

It's been two days since that Monday morning, and in between I've made it my personal business to revisit the songs that my prospective client has been internalizing since February 21st. So yesterday and today, in the privacy of my car, I've been filling my ears with songs in Bukas Palad's last two albums, Let Your Praises Be Heard and God of Silence.

I no longer remember the last time that I listened to these CDs, but hearing them again was like taking 20 steps back from an engulfing mural, seeing the big picture for the first time, and being awestruck. I do not even know what it was--the melody, lyrics, instrumentation, voices, or performances--that hit me. But hit me hard it did, and move me in ways quite profound. Perhaps it was the pairing of certain elements in a song. Or the sheer artistry of combined sound. Or the spirit behind each decibel heard. No one knows for sure; not even I, who have been producing Bukas Palad's music for the last 2 decades.

And here I am, at it again.

Bukas Palad is currently producing its 13th album since we formed in 1986, and anyone involved in such productions will tell you how debilitating the work can be. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the tasks at hand--the songwriting, vocal arranging, minus one making, actual recording, cover designing, and other processes in churning out just one CD. It is so easy to be critical of the quality of each note sung, the loudness of an instrument played, the thickness of the reverb used, the photographic style employed, the color scheme of the liner notes chosen. It is so easy to lose oneself in attempting to produce the perfect album. Yet easier still and far more rewarding to find oneself when listening to the final product--while driving one's car through an empty street during Holy Week. It's like taking 20 steps back and seeing the big picture for the first time.

We are set to launch our double-disc album of 20 songs representing 20 years of Bukas Palad by mid-June. Frankly, I'm not sure we will meet the deadline comfortably, nor am I praying that we do. What I do pray for instead (and hope that my friends join me here) is that as we work feverishly on this project, we do so with the same talent and passion that God has gifted Bukas Palad with. That when the songs are finally ready for your ears (whenever that may be), you shall find God there. And maybe, if you do find God in the music, you will get to tell me all about it.